A groundbreaking Australian research study has made significant progress in diagnosing coeliac disease with a new blood test. The test measures an immune marker interleukin 2 (IL-2) and showed high accuracy in detecting the condition, even when no gluten was consumed.
Coeliac disease affects approximately 1% of people in western countries and is characterized by an autoimmune reaction to gluten. Current diagnosis methods require patients to eat gluten for weeks, often resulting in symptoms like diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and bloating.
The new test detected coeliac disease with up to 90% sensitivity and 97% specificity in a study involving 181 volunteers. The researchers found that the IL-2 marker spiked in the bloodstream of coeliacs shortly after consuming gluten.
While further studies are needed, experts hailed the breakthrough as “a game-changer” for diagnosis. Novoviah Pharmaceuticals aims to bring the test into clinical use within two years. However, some limitations were acknowledged, including a small sample size and lack of assessment of children and patients on immunosuppressants.
The study’s lead author, Olivia Moscatelli, said that the test is “technically very simple” and can be adapted for routine laboratory use. Gastroenterologists Prof Peter Gibson and Assoc Prof Vincent Ho expressed enthusiasm for the results but emphasized the need for further validation across multiple laboratories and cost-effectiveness comparisons to clinical practice.
The study’s findings suggest that coeliac disease may be diagnosed without weeks of gluten exposure, using a single dose of gluten as a diagnostic trigger. Nevertheless, individuals on immunosuppressive drugs may not register an immune response.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jun/10/new-blood-test-for-coeliac-disease-can-diagnose-autoimmune-condition-without-need-to-eat-gluten